australian numbat is cuter than a chipmunk, monkey or cat.
with deep claws that know how to dig out food so fat.
tiny brown eyes and shiny nose remind us of the snout of a deer.
his striped eye socket is chipmunk-like, and crystal clear.
termites are the numbat’s diet of choice of course.
never a poetic subject of Poe or Joyce, like a horse.
but he devours termites twenty thousand strong.
not yearly, but daily. I do not think this is wrong.
reptiles and raptors – pythons and eagles too….
try to catch and devour numbats as foxes do.
numbats sense of smell is overly developed, keen.
at Yookamurra Sanctuary they can easily be seen.
mumbats' caves and cottages are actually hollow logs.
where he can hide from feral cats and dogs.
george moore recorded his first one in 1833.
“Looks like a squirrel, weasel or striped cat to me.”
Categories:
numbat, 4th grade, 5th grade,
Form: Rhyme
I lie dead and broken and crushed by the road
and the crows make a meal of my eyes
I no longer wander the trails in the bush
there's no one who mourns me or cries
And all who pass by are repulsed by the sight
and the smell that hangs on in the air
where once I was handsome and vibrant with life
my little ones now must despair
The thing I did wrong was to cross the big road
alone on a dark Summer's night
and the last thing I saw as I ran for my life
was the blazing of oncoming light
I was everything wild, I was everything free
I was lizard and emu and roo
I was betong and wombat and numbat and quoll
I was eagle and black cockatoo
So next time you see me all battered and torn
lying still under brilliant blue skies
don't see me as something grotesque and misformed
with the spark of life gone from my eyes
Look back and remember the way that I was
before my eyes dimmed in the light
and next time you travel rest up before dark
and slow down when driving at night
From my PDF book "Bush Ballads and Bulldust"
Categories:
numbat, animal, death,
Form: Ballad
Zebra, Yak, Xenopus, Walrus, Vulture, Urial, Tiger, Snake, Rhinoceros, Quokka, Peacock, Orangutan, Numbat, Muntjac, Lion, Kudu, Jerboa, Iguana, Hyena, Guan, Frog, Elephant, Dromedary, Camel, Bison, Avians.
Categories:
numbat, animal,
Form: ABC